Tips for Using Metallic Gold Leaf and Stencils

Good morning, my Cutting Edge Stencils friends! Who doesn’t love a dash of glittering gold in their home decor? We certainly do! Metallic finishes can add glamour, shine, and richness to your decorative stencil projects. But did you know there are two ways to get that sparkly stenciled look you love? And today we are sharing two stenciled wall art projects that will hopefully help you decide whether gold leafing finish or gold leaf sheets are right for you.

Crisp Clean Stenciled Lines

Let’s welcome back Ashley, the creative DIYer behind the blog Domestic Imperfection. Ashley commented on her blog, “I’ve been itching to gold leaf something for a while now, so I decided to try and gold leaf with a stencil and make some simple, shiny art.” She selected one of our cool wall quote stencils, Wake Up & Be Awesome in large. Then she grabbed a canvas and painted it white. Ashley was looking to achieve crisp, clean lines in her stenciled art. After a couple of attempts, she decided that Precious Metals 18 Karat Leafing Finish was the perfect way to get the glittery gold look she loved and the clean stenciled lines she desired.

Precious Metals is water-based solution that provides an elegant metallic finish. Ashley used a stencil brush to apply the finish. She commented, “The gold leaf paint looks like the gold leaf at max shine all the time.” Here is her completed project. The stenciled quote is clearly legible yet sparkly and fun! For the complete tutorial and to enter her stencil giveaway, visit her blog.

An Edgier Gold Stenciled Look

Now you might be wondering if Ashley used a metallic gold paint then what would happen if you tried to use gold leaf and a stencil. Jess, from Domicile 37, decided to test it out. She purchased a canvas and our Charlotte Allover Stencil. She painted the pattern in Martha Stewart craft paint in yellow gold to give it a base. After the stencil was dry, Jess chose to add some dimension to her project using gold leaf.

Then she applied modge podge over the stencil and pressed gold leaf onto the modge podge. A coat of modge podge was applied over the gold leaf to seal it and keep it from peeling off. For the complete step by step tutorial, check out her blog but here is her completed project. The lace-like stencil pattern lends itself to the edgy nature of gold leaf.

So what did we learn from these two super creative stencil projects? Well if you’re looking for a clean, crisp gold look then you should certainly try gold leafing finish like Precious Metals. Now if you are looking to achieve an edgier or more organic style then then gold leaf is your go to tool.

Tell us, would you prefer to stencil with gold paint or gold leaf? We’d love to read your thoughts in the comments below.